Josh and Stacy

Audrey Anne

2011-05-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

MY BABY IS NOW THREE MONTHS OLD!!!

EVA - TWO and COUNTING

2011-05-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
NEW BIKE
PARTY GIRL

Well, it's official, my first baby is now TWO years old! Eva celebrated her second birhtday on April 19th. I cannot believe how fast she has grown and how time has flown by. Eva has progressed rapidly in all of her develpmental abilities. She is very smart and continues to amaze me daily. At two years old here is what she can do.

-She can sing the Alphabet song and get all of the letters correct. She can recognize letters in her daily world and when we go to the store she will point to signs and say "Look Mom, ABCDEFG".
-She knows all of her colors
-She knows basic shapes and even remembers "octagon" and occasionally "hexagon"
-She can count to 10
-She is shy around people and doesn't talk much, but when she is at home or in the car she does NOT stop talking, literally. She talks in full sentences and to make sure that I am listening or understanding what she has said, she will make me repeat it back to her. If I just shake my head or say "yes", she will continue to repeat herself until I have correctly repeated what she has just said to me or respond in an appropriate manner.
-She got a tricycle for her birthday and has already mastered pedaling all by herself.
-She loved being read to and sometimes we will read up to 25 books or more in a day.
-She loves her baby sister and practically smothers her daily from affection.
-She also enjoys singing and knows the lyrics to many primary songs and other childrens songs.
-She can say her own prayers, this usually includes saying "thank you" for grandma (several times), mommy and daddy, toys, food, bracelets, etc
-She likes to cook with me and will add the ingrediants
-She is currently in the process of potty training herself.

EVA is an amazing little girl and I am lucky to be her mom!

the possibilities

2010-09-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

The chances are 50/50. A boy or a girl. As official as an ultrasound goes......we are having a GIRL:)

Where does time go?

2010-05-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? Eva is now 13 months old and I feel like she has accomplished so much in her tiny life so far. As of today here are her amazing accomplishments! This is mostly for my benefit (being the proud mother that I am) as I have contemplated her accomplishments and the miracle of life.
4 weeks old: smiling
2 1/2 months: Laughing while at LOWE's (now her favorite store)
4 months: rolling over
4 1/2 months: sitting up by herself
6 months: saying "mom", pull herself up to stand
7 months: crawling (we thought she would never crawl but walk first because she thought we were torturing her if she was not on her feet or in an upright position at all times)
9 months: walking
10 months: waving goodbye
12 months: blowing kisses
Within just the past couple of months her talking skills have surfaced.
She now can say: mom, dadda, uh-oh (a least fifty times a day), doggem = doggie, git = get it, gin = again, get down, dat = get that, ah-er = cracker, and she can also sign "more".

WE HAVE BEEN SO BLESSED TO HAVE HER IN OUR LIFE. What an amazing gift that God has given us, as well as the opportunity to grow and learn with her.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY EVA

2010-04-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

Today is Eva's first Birthday! We celebrated it over the weekend with family at the park. We had cupcakes and snacks as well as a train ride by the lake. It was a wonderful way to celebrate her birthday. We actually had a double birthday party with her cousin Elissa who was born a week after Eva.

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Eva having a great time at Great-grandma Clay's house. She loved Easter and finding eggs. However, I think she liked riding in the wagon the best.

Like Father like Daughter.....

2010-03-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

JUST LIKE HER DADDY

Stir Crazy

2010-03-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

All three of us were sick a couple of Sundays ago so we stayed home from church. But we soon found out that we did not like to be cooped up inside all day..... and lets just say some of us went stir crazy. Josh decided (with some creativity) that it would be a good idea to pull Eva in a diaper box through the house. He tied his belt to it and pulled her around the house as well as spinning her in circles.

Later Eva decided to spin her own circles out of boredom.

DIY'ers

2010-03-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

This is our first big house project that is completely finished! We have started several others since moving in....but this is the only one that has been completed.

This was our fireplace pre-destruction. We had ugly cinder-brick and a (non-functioning) wood burning stove (as well as ugly paneling that was replaced with drywall)

We removed everything down to the original brick and cement base.

we added some clay bricks to lower the fireplace

Installed some marble.....

Added a mantle, some trim, vent-less gas logs and a glass cover to keep the baby out. The cover isn't my favorite but.....we found a brand new one (still in the box) on Craigslist for $75. Compared to $279 ordered from Lowes. So I think we will keep it :)
We are now warmer and happier with our results!
Now all we lack is a flat screen TV above it! Or at least that is what Josh hopes for. Keep hoping....

Walking at 9 months

2010-01-26T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Cutest Baby

2010-01-20T15:25:00.002-08:00

Our first real big snow storm.....back in December

Josh had to build a snowman with the neighbors kids

I had to take about30 pictures to get Eva to be still so I could take her picture last Sunday

and she was not happy about it!

Other adorable pictures......

2010-01-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some family pictures that we used for our Christmas cards (Eva was close to 8 months old) and then some Halloween ones (6 months old)

Daddy and Eva in downtown Brsitol

Halloween fun

Learing to say Mom

2010-01-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

Eva learns to say mom at 6 months old

Christmas Gift

2010-01-08T17:01:00.000-08:00

Eva figuring out her Christmas gift

6 months later.....

2010-01-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

So it has been 6 months since the last posting....... but it's OK because these adorable pictures will make up for it! These pictures were taken back in November by Reflective Moments Photography. Eva was 6 months old.

So many changes

2009-07-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Eva and her cousin Elissa

Eva on Sunday - 11 weeks

Daddy and Eva napping while mommy paints the baby room!

We have been going through lots of changes these past few weeks! We bought a home in Bristol and have been doing projects on it ever since. Eva is now 11 weeks old and continues to grow out of her clothes....she has been wearing 3-6 month clothes for the past few weeks! She loves interaction and smiles a lot. She has even been attempting to laugh. This morning she was starting to fall asleep and a big smile was on her face and then out of nowhere she started to laugh, it was so cute because her eyes were still closed and she was basically giggling while she was asleep.

Eva's Blessing

2009-06-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today Eva was blessed in church with her cousin Elissa. It was a beautiful day and Josh did a great job in giving her a blessing. Here are some pictures of the cute babies and their proud parents!

Growing up everyday

2009-05-19T11:39:00.001-07:00

4 weeks old......what a cutie

She is starting to smile but it is hard to capture on film!

Eva on Mothers Day right after a bath....three weeks old.

MORE EVA......so adorable

2009-05-04T11:52:00.001-07:00

Eva at 2 weeks

Eva (in pink) and her cousin Elissa (less than a week apart)

She is so sophisticated......

Thanks Aunt Sarah for my shirt

One week old and adorable

2009-04-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

EVA MADISON TYHURST ARRIVES....9 days late

2009-04-20T06:24:00.001-07:00

EVA MADISON
BORN 4-19-09
WEIGHING IN AT 8 LBS 11 OZ
21 INCHES LONG
9 DAYS PAST DUE DATE

Bittersweet endings and now the wait......

2009-04-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

I quit my job over a week ago in anticipation that I would have a baby by now. I cried my last day of work because one of 'my kids' (as I like to call them rather than clients) wanted me to go to class with her and sit with her so she could show me how good she was working. I had to tell her that I couldn't becuase I had to leave soon to go to the doctors. I hated not being able to give her all of my time. She is just in kindergarten and didn't realize that I wasn't coming back. I tried to tell her it was my last day but she just got upset and said that it was her last day of school and not mine. Quitting work has not been easy because all of last week I worried about the girl who took my place and that I didn't get to tell her everything that I needed to about my kids.
However, on the flipside, I feel more than ready to just have the baby and start my new adventures. I don't think I can possible organize or fold, refold, and wash anything else. My due date is not until the 10th of April but I was really wishing to have her by now. So now I just sit at home and wait.....and wait......and wait.....WILL IT EVER COME????!!!

10 weeks to go!

2009-01-31T08:58:00.000-08:00

As of yesterday I am officially 30 weeks along in my pregnancy! Only 10 more to go. I keep counting the weeks until I don't have to work anymore. Then I can stay home and enjoy Eva Madison......at least that is her name for now. It has been quite awhile since I last posted anything so I will put up a few pictures of Christmas in Utah and a baby shower that I was given while there.
Since we arrived in Utah Josh probably did more snow shoveling in one week than his whole life combined....secretly he enjoyed it!
Me and Josh Cristmas morning at my moms house
Me,my sisters, and my grandma at the baby shower
Me and my mom at the baby shower

A time for the beginning of many FIRSTS

2008-12-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

I have been experiencing a lot of firsts lately.
1. Last week my sister Lacey sent me my FIRST baby outfit! It is so adorable! It is a burgundy colored little frilly girls dress. I love it! (However, Josh had to ruin it by suggesting that we have his grandmother sew the VT Virginia Tech logo on it since it was the right color...... side note - I will never be able to escape football or Virginia Tech as long as I live!!!)
2. For the FIRST time someone that I had not told I was pregnant asked me if I was..... I guess that means that I am getting more large and obvious.
3. I feel a lot of baby movement at the end of my workday and between 8-11:00 at night. Well, I had Josh hold his hand on my stomach for awhile and he was finally able to feel the baby for the FIRST time!
4. I am finally flying to Utah for Christmas (a FIRST since our marriage in 2005)!!! Not only is this a FIRST for us for a Christmas in Utah but this is also a FIRST and very important flight. This will be the FIRST time that we will be able to fly out of Bristol (where we live). This is major since all of our other flights have been out of Louisville or Lexington Kentucky about a 4 1/2 hour drive. The Bristol airport is small and usually several hundred dollars more expensive. However, thanks to my step-dad we were able to use a travel coupon and save hundreds.
5. If this baby really is a girl like they think ........ I will have the FIRST girl in my family!!

$1.74, what a bargain

2008-11-20T15:17:00.001-08:00

I couldn't help but not publish the price of gasoline! I can afford to drive again! Not that I want to do cross country driving again anytime soon but it is nice just to have that option. I was suprised because my sister who lives in southern Utah is still paying close to $3.00 a gallon. Now that is ridiculous!
However, on the downside of it all, it boils down to our economy being in terrible shape. But on the other side, I am saving a bundle of money! Especially since my husband drives close to 400 miles a week to school and work. The only thing that I don't understand is why we are still paying outrageous costs for food and other items that were jacked up due to the rising cost of fuel. Now that fuel cost is down, I haven't seen too many other products lower their prices......except for maybe SUV's and trucks. One thing that I would love to see come down in price is the cost to ship packages. I think I paid 7-8$ the other day to mail a small package. It doesn't seem like that long ago that UPS had a $2.99 shipping fee for small packages. Those days are long gone.

The results are in!

2008-11-20T14:48:00.000-08:00

Josh and I had our ultrasound a few days ago. I wasn't really sure what to expect, except that we were going to possibly find out or "verify" the sex of the baby. Well....I was positive that I was gong to have a boy so I went into the ultrasound waiting for them to tell me it was a boy. However, it didn't happen that way. At first the baby wasn't really cooperating to show us anything. Eventually towards the end the baby decided to move just enough so that we could get a good look. The lady told us that she couldn't be 100% accurate but that there was no evidence of a boy and from what she was seeing she said that it looks like a GIRL. I really didn't say much after that because I think I was in shock. I thought I knew what I was having but apparently I don't really know anything. Either way I am very excited and looking forward to it. When I told my parents they were also very happy! They have both secretly and not so secretly voiced their opinion that I should have their first granddaughter. My dad has already been thinking up girl names (mingled with his name) since I told him I was pregnant. So when I told him it was a girl he just told me that I needed to listen to him a little more often. But on the other hand, in some small way I can't get it out of my head that it might still be a boy. Maybe I just don't want to admit that I don't know anything about what is growing inside of me and that I was wrong. So for now I could just go along with April and state that the tests were "inconclusive", she is sticking to that line because she now owes my dad $10 over a bet about the baby's sex.

$1.97 and keeping tabs

2008-11-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

I never thought that gas prices would ever fall below $2.00 in my life time again. At $1.97 and even cheaper in neighboing towns I almost feel like I could own a truck now and afford to drive it. I don't even remember how long ago it was that they were that price. But it sure is a relief from the $3.99 we were paying over the summer. Since gas prices have continued to drop I have been more reluctant to fill my whole tank up since every day they seem to go down even further. On Monday or Tuesday I only put about $5.00 in my tank and it will last me well into next week (I only drive about 7 miles to work each day). Maybe prices will fall even further by then.
On with more exciting news....... I think that I finally felt "movement" with the baby. I have been asked at each OB appointment if I have felt movement and finally I think I have. It is quite a strange feeling. Almost like I swallowed a large goldfish and it is swimming around trying to find a way out. It is like nothing I have ever felt before or imagined like it would feel.
On Tuesday we have our ultrasound. I am getting more and more excited. My stomach is getting larger (not large by Josh's system of measurement - he rubbed my belly today and said that we must be having a little baby) but I think it is growing. My pants are no longer comfortable around my waist and it is getting difficult to dress myself in the morning. However, now that it is winter and I am wearing large sweaters it is easy to cover up and undo a button or two if I have to. However, I still haven't told anyone that I work with. I think that I like being mysterious and keeping a secret that only I know. Or maybe I am just too much of a recluse to want people asking me question all the time. Maybe it is a little bit of both. However, I do think that it will be interesting to see the look on some of their faces when I come back to work after the long Holiday break. By the time Christmas is over I will be 6 months along.

16 weeks.....and a half

2008-10-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

As of last Friday I am 16 weeks into my first pregnancy. I am very excited but my emotions are all over the place!
I feel blessed because
-we tried for over two years to get pregnant and the Lord knew the best time for us
-I have a very supportive and loving husband
-I have only thrown up on two different days
-I am able to continue working through the pregnancy thanks to a preisthood blessing

I feel like we are going to have a boy.....however, my parents both want me to have a girl! They don't want to listen to me because they want a grandaughter. But in three short weeks we will have the ultrasound to prove them wrong!! Either way they will be happy but they already have three grandsons and are hoping for a girl.

Going through this first 16 weeks have been a roller coaster. I like to blame it all on my hormones and body changes. I felt sick and nauseous for the majority of the time. However, the last 2 weeks or so have been getting better every day. I have the energy to cook and clean again. I tear up over little things and am grateful that Josh is at work so he doesn't see me. I am starting to show but try to hide it because I haven't told the people I work around yet.....I'm not really sure why I haven't told them either. My pants are getting tighter and at work I just have to undo the top buttons and pull my shirt over top of them so I can breathe. I just have a small bump that I can conceal but last night Josh asked me "when is your belly going to get bigger?" To answer his question..... I don't really know... but I always pictured women as being large in the belly when they get their ultrasounds (at least that is what I have seen on TV and TV is reality, right?). Well my ultrasound is in three weeks so maybe I will have a growth spurt by then. I finally bought my first pair of maternity pants tonight and they are so comfortable. I am able to breathe in them and my stomach doesn't doesn't feel so squished. Plus, I think they are cute!
Oh and I don't have to go through this alone!! My girl that I visit teach is also pregnant and due within two weeks of me. Plus, my sister in law and Josh's aunt are also having babies due about 2 -4 weeks after me. So we have lots to talk about and we all understand what each other is gong through. Not to mention that my other sister in law just had her baby two weeks ago and another sister in law is having a baby is January. So I guess I will be around many mothers that I can talk to!
By the way our due date is April 10th. Just shortly after my 30th birthday. I never imagined I would be this old before having my first child but I guess the Lord has other plans for me.

blogging... a new world

2008-09-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

I guess I had better jump on the blogging bandwagon and get this thing started.... I feel like I am from another planet and the last alien to have my own blog. As my sister and friends have informed me.... everyone has one of these and I must post my life to the world! So therefore I guess I will give it a try. However, secretly (for quite some time now) I have enjoyed looking at and reading my friends blogs. I feel somewhat connected to them even though I live thousands of miles away.